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out of this world

Tucked away in an unassuming little neighborhood north of downtown Seattle, is a quiet little storefront that you may overlook if you aren’t paying attention.

However, if you are in the market for supplies for your next trip to outer space, you just might notice the signs, and the super fun items in the store windows. That’s right, you may have found the Greenwood Space Travel Supply Company.

Upon entering the establishment, you’ll find all kinds of accessories needed for your space travels.

And if you are really daring, you’ll step into one of the atomic teleporters, where you can get a close encounter of a different kind—help with your writing homework, for example.

The Greenwood Space Travel Supply Co. is run by 826, a non-profit writing and tutoring center dedicated to helping youth, ages 6 to 18, improve their creative and expository writing skills, and to helping teachers inspire their students to write.

826 began in 2002 in the Mission District of San Francisco, by educator Nínive Calegari and author Dave Eggers, who were looking for a way to support overburdened teachers and connect talented working adults with the students who could use their help the most. Because the area was zoned for retail, they needed a storefront to fit the zoning requirement. So, they decided to create a Pirate Store in front, and offer tutoring in the back. Soon their store was packed with students who benefited by the expert staff.

Today, 826 has eight chapters—all with different themes, located throughout the nation. Being a little biased, we found the Seattle store to have the most charming and interesting website and packaging designs.